U.S./World category, Page 871
Why Ethiopia is suddenly on brink of civil war
NAIROBI, Kenya — Suddenly, Ethiopia appears on the brink of civil war, threatening the stability of one of the world’s most strategic regions, the Horn of Africa, and the fracturing of one of Africa’s most powerful and populous countries. But the crisis in Ethiopia, a key U.S. security ally, has...
Unemployment drops to 6.9% and U.S. adds a solid 638,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added 638,000 jobs in October, a solid pace though far fewer than needed to regain most of the jobs lost to the pandemic recession just as new viral cases are setting record highs. The gain suggested that a tentative economic recovery may remain intact even in...
3 killed, 2 wounded in Toledo apartment building shooting
TOLEDO, Ohio — A shooting at an apartment building in Toledo has left three people dead and two others wounded, authorities said. Police responding to reports of shots fired at the Parqwood Apartments found the victims shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday. It’s not yet known what sparked the shooting or...
Spain: Former king is target of 3rd corruption investigation
MADRID — Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors have opened a third corruption investigation involving former monarch Juan Carlos I of Spain, officials said Friday. Attorney General Dolores Delgado and top anti-corruption prosecutor Alejandro Luzón told reporters the probe is still at an “embryonic” stage, private news agency Europa Press reported. They...
2 Wisconsin officers shot, wounded in exchange of gunfire
DELAFIELD, Wis. — Two officers were shot and wounded early Friday after confronting a hit-and-run suspect in Wisconsin, police said. Delafield Police Chief Erik Kehl said that one of his officers and another from nearby Hartland confronted a man suspected in the hit-and-run crash outside a Holiday Inn at Interstate...
Armed men arrested near Philadelphia vote counting location
PHILADELPHIA — Two men armed with loaded handguns were arrested Thursday near the Philadelphia convention center where an ongoing vote count could decide the presidential election, police said. Joshua Macias, 42, and Antonio LaMotta, 61, traveled from the Virginia Beach, Virginia, area in a Hummer and did not have permits...
A more conservative court hears same-sex foster parent case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to side with a Catholic social services agency in a dispute with Philadelphia over the agency’s refusal to work with same-sex couples as foster parents. The case is a big test of religious rights on a more conservative court. Catholic Social...
Election officials worried by threats and protesters
Election officials in several states said Thursday they are worried about the safety of their staffs amid a stream of threats and gatherings of angry protesters outside their doors, drawn by President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud in the race for the White House. “I can tell you...
Trump steps to podium, lets loose on integrity of election
WASHINGTON — For 40 hours, President Donald Trump fumed in private and tweeted his grievances in all caps. When he at last emerged, it was to stand behind the presidential seal in the White House and deliver a diatribe most notable for his litany of false statements about the election...
Counties with worst virus surges overwhelmingly voted Trump
U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But in places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support. An Associated Press analysis reveals that in 376 counties with the highest number of new cases...
Guatemala president says 37 dead in landslides caused by Eta
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei said Thursday that a water-soaked mountainside in the central part of the country had slid onto the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, burying homes and leaving at least 25 dead. Two other slides in Huehuetenango had killed at least 12 more, he said....
Missing girl, 14, found hidden in closet; authorities uncover trapdoor in California home
A weeklong search to find a missing 14-year-old in Northern California’s Calaveras County has ended after authorities discovered a trapdoor leading to a makeshift sleeping area under a home where the girl had gone to spend the night and found the teen hiding in a closet, sheriff’s officials said. Three...
Kosovo’s president resigns to face war crimes charges
The president of Kosovo, who served as a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s, resigned Thursday and was sent to a special court in The Hague where he will face charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity. President Hashim Thaci said he...
Judge rejects moving trial of ex-officers in George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Thursday rejected defense requests to move the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s death, and also ordered that all four will be tried together instead of separately. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ruled after defense attorneys had argued that pretrial...
Voters in Jersey Shore town of Margate reject a boardwalk
Not everyone at the Jersey Shore loves boardwalks. Voters in Margate, a well-to-do seaside community near Atlantic City, overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to build a boardwalk along its beachfront. In incomplete tallies released by the Atlantic County Clerk’s office, a non-binding referendum on whether Margate should study the feasibility of...
Fed signals readiness to do more for economy as virus rages
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate at a record low near zero Thursday and signaled its readiness to do more if needed to support an economy under threat from a worsening coronavirus pandemic. The Fed announced no new actions after its latest policy meeting but left...
American imprisoned in Russia complains of sleep deprivation
MOSCOW — The brother of an American convicted of espionage in Russia said Thursday that his imprisoned sibling is suffering sleep deprivation at a prison colony where he is serving a 16-year sentence. David Whelan said his brother, Paul, complained that he was being woken up at approximately 2-hour intervals...
Officials name new road in Florida after Trayvon Martin
MIAMI — A section of road that leads to the South Florida high school that Trayvon Martin attended now bears the name of the Black teenager whose 2012 death sparked a movement for social justice. The road became Trayvon Martin Avenue during a brief ceremony on Thursday morning near Dr....
Danish farmers lament decision to cull all Denmark’s minks
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish fur farmers say they’ve been dealt a major blow after the world’s largest mink fur exporter decided to cull all 15 million minks in Denmark’s farms, to minimize the risk of them re-transmitting the coronavirus to humans — a decision that has also raised eyebrows among...
Officials clarify military role in coronavirus vaccination amid wariness
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has often touted the role of the military in distributing a covid-19 vaccine, but health officials close to the process who are concerned about public distrust are taking pains to say the federal government won’t actually be handling vaccines. The president said at the final...
California’s Prop. 22 passed — big win for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash. What’s next?
Facing mounting legal pressure for classifying their vast workforces as contractors rather than employees, gig economy companies put forth what they argued was a better solution — one that would provide some benefits to workers without forcing them to alter their business model. On Tuesday, gig economy companies got their...
France reinforcing its border controls following attacks
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France is reinforcing its border controls after a series of attacks that hit the country in recent weeks. Macron said the number of police and troops in charge of border controls will double from 2,400 now to 4,800. They will...
Alaska search for 7 missing boaters indefinitely postponed
BETHEL, Alaska — Searchers in western Alaska have indefinitely postponed their effort to find seven missing seal hunters. Quinhagak Tribal Police Chief John Peter said he put the search on hold last Saturday for the missing and the boat they were traveling on, KYUK-AM reported Wednesday. “Due to the cold,...
UK extends wage support scheme until March amid new lockdown
LONDON — The British government and the Bank of England joined forces Thursday to provide further support to an economy that is set for a difficult winter following the imposition of new coronavirus lockdown measures. Hours after the central bank increased its monetary stimulus by a bigger than anticipated $195...
Tanzania’s leader sworn in for 2nd term after troubled vote
DODOMA, Tanzania — Tanzania’s populist President John Magufuli took the oath of office for a second five-year term amid tight security Thursday after the opposition called for a fresh election, the disbandment of the electoral commission and an “endless peaceful demonstration” over the Oct. 28 vote. Magufuli over the weekend...
